Re: your top 5 vetivers

It's still listed on the L'O website, and the local L'O store has it in stock. They just did away with many, many products and reorganized the men's display. The SA showed me the way the men's display is supposed to look, per corporate instructions, and Vetyver EDT and soap are both on the display. So...yeah, I don't know if this is discontinued. The shower gel is, though, for sure.

Re: your top 5 vetivers

That's a difficult question to answer since most perfumes contain vetiver at one level or another. For the perfume in which vetiver is the dominant note then Guerlain's if my favorite. Bath and Body released "Indian Vetiver" that was outstanding (for B&B) but it was discontinued soon after, luckily I stached away 8 bottles of it before it dissapeared from the market. For favorites perfumes containing vetiver on them the five I would mention are: Sung Homme, Grey Flannel, Ungaro III, Creed OV and Azzaro PV. Worth mentioning, although the vetiver is barely discernible, is Richard James Savile Row, an outstanding fragrance that you hear very little about.

Re: your top 5 vetivers

Gentleman, what are some good dark, mysterious, sexy vetivers. I liked L'occitane vetiver because it was all those things, are there any vetivers other than that one that fit the picture? I heard the one by Frederic Malle fits those traits.

Re: your top 5 vetivers

Great idea for a thread....very helpful to me as well....as I don't have much experience with this note I will only say I did NOT like Encre Noir, but did like the L'Occitane version (which I just sampled within the last two weeks, so not discontinued). I thought Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver was pretty good as well. Would defintely say L'Occitane is my favorite thus far though.

Re: your top 5 vetivers

Here are my picks with a "mini-review".

Please tell me what you think and if there's anything you'd like to add to them as well, i welcome feedback from all Basenoters.

Givenchy's Vetyver :

one of the classiest most well-balanced vetivers out there, both the vintage and the new reformulation are must haves (almost identical), very fresh, very natural yet still classically elegant.
Vetiver Dance by Tauer:

a beautiful rendition, earthy and very layered with soft fresh top notes to flowery mid to earthy base.

Guerlain's Vetiver :

the top must have vetiver of all, only because of its history and its popularity.
Adored by both men and women, the vintage is very different from the classic having both scents fans of their own -and others crying foul-, the vintage version being the most "greener" version: fresh cut grass, dirt and roots, somewhat watery garden with fresh drops of rain.
The "new" version being more conventionally "modern" with very fresh top notes that fade faster and having a strong vetiver mid with a base of dry earth and ashes.

Vetiver Hombre by Adolfo Domínguez:

the stronger of these choices, the dark, elegant, classically masculine yet fresh and very true to vetiver roots and of all things, a certain hint of crème de menthe.
It also has a versatility that can be challenged as it works on all seasons and situations.

Encre Noire by Lalique:

what has not being said about this scent that hasn't been said before?
Lalique has always been striving for a betterment of their scents and has always used surprisingly good materials for a first and foremost Glass and Crystal company that dabbles in perfumery.
Virtually all of their scents are at the very least interesting and EN being one of the most striking Vetivers of the last years and one of the most revered. A classic fragrance in the making? Most likely, but because of its inherent quality and its truthfulness towards vetiver, it wins a place here.

extras mentions - interesting Vetivers:

Red Vetyver by Montale:

this is a very original rendition of vetiver as it has a good blend of spices and certain "hotness" to the whole composition worth at least one try.
I see it as the Vetiver version of Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea, with their Spicy Green Tea scent, Montale created a very innovative use of red pepper/cedarwood/vetiver and what i feel is spanish bell pepper, before red pepper was all the rage.

Vetyverio by Dyptique:

why is this here? because the use of different types of vetiver root with a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables can go wrong but in here the composition is instead a well layered box of surprises.It even has nutmeg!

Re: your top 5 vetivers

Castorpollux: You said that Vetyverio EVEN HAS NUTMEG on it, like surprised by it!!!!. Well, most Vetiver DO HAVE nutmeg, those two notes compliment very well, All Guerlain variations on Vetiver have nutmeg on it (Vetiver, Vetiver Frozen, Vetiver Sport. Vetiver Extreme, Vetiver pour Elle, Eau Glasee), also Vetyver by Lanvin has nutmeg, so does Le Vetiver by Lubin, Pure Vetiver by Azzaro, Vetyver by Jo Malone, Eau de Vetyver by L'Ocittane, Vetiver by Villoresi, the version by Ayala Morel and I could go on an on but i am running out of space. Vetiver and nutmeg go hand by hand, so do not be surprised by that combination

Re: your top 5 vetivers

Originally Posted by Force of One

Great idea for a thread....very helpful to me as well....as I don't have much experience with this note I will only say I did NOT like Encre Noir, but did like the L'Occitane version (which I just sampled within the last two weeks, so not discontinued). I thought Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver was pretty good as well. Would defintely say L'Occitane is my favorite thus far though.

L'occitane is excellant in the vetiver department i like how dark and masculine it is and for those who want to try a nice vetiver body wash co bigelow has one and it is very fresh but menthol smelling as well.

Re: your top 5 vetivers

Have I told you about the scent of jasmine? Have I spoken about the smell of the sea? The earth is scented. And I perfume myself to enhance what I am. That's why I can not wear a perfume that bothers me. Perfuming is an instinctive wisdom. And like all art, it requires some knowledge of yourself..."
Clarice Lispector ( 1920-1977) - Perfumes da Terra / Earth Perfumes

Re: your top 5 vetivers

Originally Posted by DavidBond007

Gentleman, what are some good dark, mysterious, sexy vetivers. I liked L'occitane vetiver because it was all those things, are there any vetivers other than that one that fit the picture? I heard the one by Frederic Malle fits those traits.

Actually, I don't find l'Occitaine's Vetyver especially dark or mysterious - it's actually one of the "lightest" vetivers I've sampled (though I suppose it does lack the pronounced citrus topnote of, say, Guerlain's Vetiver or CdG's Vettiveru, which might make it seem like a "darker" vetiver to some.)

That said: Encre Noire and Sycomore definitely fall into the dark/mysterious category for me.
(And MPG's Route du Vetiver is another dark and mysterious beast ... but maybe it deserves a category of its own. Not an "easy" vetiver, to be sure ... )

Post script: Isn't it fascinating how many different ways vetiver is perceived? Guess that's what makes it such a popular note - it's hard to get bored of something that multifaceted.

Re: your top 5 vetivers

Originally Posted by JacquesD

Actually, I don't find l'Occitaine's Vetyver especially dark or mysterious - it's actually one of the "lightest" vetivers I've sampled (though I suppose it does lack the pronounced citrus topnote of, say, Guerlain's Vetiver or CdG's Vettiveru, which might make it seem like a "darker" vetiver to some.)

That said: Encre Noire and Sycomore definitely fall into the dark/mysterious category for me.
(And MPG's Route du Vetiver is another dark and mysterious beast ... but maybe it deserves a category of its own. Not an "easy" vetiver, to be sure ... )

Post script: Isn't it fascinating how many different ways vetiver is perceived? Guess that's what makes it such a popular note - it's hard to get bored of something that multifaceted.

That is intereting, it must be my body chemistry because it is a strong vetiver on me.